I've seen something like this before around the TX lakes. It can pretty much happen anywhere there is a lot of stagnant water. I think they called it ameobos or something. It can also get in the ears and do the damage, but I remember it taking only days to kill.

God thats terrible, I've never even heard of that. So it seems its only in fresh water not salt, and warm waters south and west not north.Feel bad for the family, kid goes brain dead and stops breathing in the fathers arms.... So sad....

Yeah,
We keep our kids out of the little lakes around here in Central FL. We do 99% of our boating in the Saltwater of the Banana/Indian rivers/ICW here, that surrounds Merritt Island. My sister-in-law lives on Lake Irma in Orlando, and we've had to tell her that we aren't comfortable letting our kids swim/tube in her lake.
I was just suprised that it could happen @ Lake Havafew. I was there a couple of times in the 80's when I lived in LA, and the water there seems way cooler/cleaner than the little lakes here in Cent. FL.?
Dean

I've been hearing about incidents like this in FL since I first moved here in 1995. I'm sure it goes back before that, so it's nothing new. Worst are areas experiencing droughts during the summer months. Let's face it, warm stagnant water will be rife with micro-organisms.